This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 2007-304772 filed in Japan on Nov. 26, 2007, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to original transport and reading apparatuses, and particularly relates to original transport and reading apparatuses that use an original reading portion to read an original transported by an original transport portion through a reading region of an optically transmissive member.
Original transport and reading apparatuses have long and commonly been used in image forming apparatuses and the like such as copier machines and multifunction machines. In these conventional original transport and reading apparatuses, it is common that an original reading portion reads an original transported by an original transport portion through a reading region of an optically transmissive member such as a reading glass or the like.
In these original transport and reading apparatuses, foreign matter such as paper dust and other dust may sometimes adhere on the reading region of the optically transmissive member, and when this happens there is a problem in that image deterioration such as white streaks or other streaks tends to occur in the image that has been read. For example, during an operation of reading an original in the original transport and reading apparatus, paper dust that has been rubbed off from the original may adhere on the reading region of the reading glass, thereby reducing the image quality of the original image that has been read.
With respect to this issue, JP 2003-110808A proposes an original transport and reading apparatus structured such that the reading glass is arranged having an inclination, and foreign matter such as dust is caused to drop and be removed due to the transported original and gravity.
However, the original transport and reading apparatus described in JP 2003-110808A necessitates a new mechanism for foreign matter removal, thereby increasing the number of components by that extent, which also tends to increase the size of the apparatus.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an original transport and reading apparatus that uses an original reading portion to read an original transported by an original transport portion through a reading region of an optically transmissive member, this being an original transport and reading apparatus that does not require a new mechanism for foreign matter removal and accordingly is capable of effectively removing foreign matter from the reading region of the optically transmissive member without increasing the size of the apparatus.